Area libraries to be redesigned
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 10 months AGO
North Central Washington libraries, including the Moses Lake library shown here, will get a facelift as part of the Reimagining Spaces project.
FILE PHOTO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | December 5, 2022 4:31 PM
WENATCHEE — Libraries in the region will be getting a facelift, according to a statement from North Central Washington Libraries.
The NCW Libraries Reimagining Spaces Project represents a $10 million, multi-year redesign of all the libraries in the NCWL system, NCWL spokesperson Amanda Brack told the Herald. Twenty-seven of those libraries, including all the branches in Grant County, will be redesigned by Library Forward, out of San Francisco, in conjunction with Wenatchee-based Forte Architects. Work is already underway at the remaining three libraries, in Wenatchee, Winthrop and Brewster, also funded by the Reimagining Spaces Project.
“The extent and direction of the design improvements will be unique to each community and will be based on input gathered at the start of each project through community engagement events,” Brack told the Herald in an email. “NCW Libraries anticipates that for most community libraries, the improvements will include updates to furniture, fixtures and shelving, wall coverings and flooring, lighting, ADA compliance and accessibility, staff and storage spaces, and signage and wayfinding.”
“The changes will be focused on interior look and feel rather than structural,” Brack wrote, adding that input from local residents will be sought in each community.
“We are thrilled to have Library Forward, along with local firm, Forte Architects, bring their expertise to our Reimagining Spaces Project,” NCWL Executive Director Barbara Walters write in a press statement. “Library Forward brings national experience with reimagining library spaces. Forte Architects understands the context, diverse culture, and various needs of NCW. Together, they will help us update our library spaces to better serve our communities.”
More information about the NCW Libraries Reimagining Spaces Project can be found at www.ncwlibraries.org.
Joel Martin may be reached at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake author’s book, “A Christian Woman Striving to Live Her Faith in a Man-Controlled World,” takes aim at the role to which many churches relegate the female half of their congregations. “It’s to encourage women in the faith,” Linda Curran said. “A lot of churches say, ‘Teach Sunday school, do this, do that, but don’t (evangelize.)’" In her book, Curran recounts a time when she moved to a new community and joined a church there. She was surprised to learn that, as a new female member, she had been automatically assigned church cleaning duties. When she questioned it, she wrote, she was met with condescension and her objections were brushed aside. In other churches, she said, women who were capable of teaching were relegated to “women’s ministry.”